Athletics at Colleges: Competitive Sports Played by Students in Higher Education Institutions
No stranger to overcoming long odds, Colorado Christian University's (CCU) men's golf team, coached by Mark Hull, went from having a paltry roster and rock-bottom national rankings to becoming one of the dominant forces in Division II golf. It all started with a humble inquiry about clubs back in 2004.
"Do you have clubs?" That simple question posed by Hull to fellow students at the private college in Lakewood, Colorado, laid the foundation for an ambitious golf program. With only two players on the roster––an incoming freshman and a returner who'd never broken 80 in a tournament––Hull was faced with a daunting task: securing bodies before worrying about talent.
"I'd go around the residence hall asking guys, 'Hey, wanna play golf?' And they'd be like, 'Sure, I'm decent,'" Hull recalled with a chuckle. "My response was always, 'Oh, you're good? Well, we'll work on it.'"
The CCU golfers made quite an entrance on the national stage last year, becoming the first Colorado collegiate golf team and the university's first sports team to claim a national title by winning the Division II championship. This triumph was followed by an impressive regular season in which the Cougars won all eight Division II tournaments they entered and finished second in their lone Division I tournament, the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate.
"They've been doing some crazy, dominant things," said seasoned golf writer Gary Baines, who has been covering golf in Colorado for 42 years. "It's quite unprecedented for a Colorado team."
Reflecting on the turning point for the CCU golf program, Hull points to the 2014 season when the team won the National Christian College Athletic Association title. Following this success, the team competed in both the NCCAA and NCAA Division II each year, racking up four consecutive titles at the NCCAA tournament.
"Those title-winning teams made me realize that we might actually be able to do this on the D-II stage," Hull said. "But we're small compared to other D-II schools, with around 1,500 traditional undergrads. So it still felt like a bit of a longshot, especially considering schools from the southeast have historically dominated the classification."
Division II men's golf champions have traditionally hailed from the southeast, with only a handful of titles won by teams from other regions. However, CCU is looking to buck that trend this year, with four of their players––Adam Duncan, Sungyeop Cho, Sangha Park, and Xavier Bighaus––ranked amongst the top six in Division II.
Duncan, the No. 1-ranked player, clinched the Arnold Palmer Cup selection last week as the sole representative of Division II men's golf. The team's depth and talent––with their fourth-highest ranked player, Bighaus, likely standing atop other teams' rosters––give them confidence for the upcoming postseason.
Still, the Cougars experienced disappointment in the 2022 postseason, blowing an eight-stroke lead on the final day of the Super Regionals and missing a spot at the national tournament by just one stroke. "I think you have to fail in order to have success," Duncan said, reflecting on that bitter setback. "It taught us a lot about what we're capable of and the kind of pressure we can handle."
With the 2025 postseason set to kick off on Thursday, the Cougars are more determined than ever to reclaim their title and make history once again. Under the guidance of Hull, a former NAIA hooper at Taylor University who also coached college basketball and tennis before finding his niche at CCU, the team is ready to tackle whatever challenges come their way.
"We're not feeling any pressure other than excitement for what we can do at the end of this season," said South Korean import Park, one of CCU's top talents.
- Despite the initial small roster and low rankings, Colorado Christian University's (CCU) men's golf team, coached by Mark Hull, has become a formidable force in Division II golf, with four players ranked among the top six in Division II.
- Reflecting on the turning point for the CCU golf program, Hull points to the 2014 season when the team won the National Christian College Athletic Association title, following which they competed in both the NCCAA and NCAA Division II each year, racking up four consecutive titles at the NCCAA tournament.
- In the realm of arts and culture, CCU's impact might not be as profound, but on the sports field, the university's first sports team to claim a national title, the golf team, has made a significant mark, winning the Division II championship last year and dominating Division II tournaments throughout the season.
- The CCU golfers, including Xavier Bighaus, ranked amongst the top six in Division II, are looking to buck the trend of Division II men's golf champions traditionally hailing from the southeast, with ambitions to make history this year.
- Under the guidance of Mark Hull, who has coached various sports at CCU, the men's golf team is prepared to tackle the upcoming 2025 postseason with excitement, determined to reclaim their title and continue making headlines in the world of sports and beyond.
